Rouen Cathedral, Portal, Midday

French Title: Cathédrale de Rouen, portail plein midi

“What a task this cathedral is!” wrote Monet from Rouen, in a letter to his wife in Giverny. He painted nearly thirty views of the cathedral’s façade, moving from one canvas to the next to capture different moments throughout the day. After returning home, he continued to work on this series for two more years. The encrusted brushstrokes on this canvas evoke the blinding radiance of sunlight glinting off pale stone. When the painting is viewed from a distance, the cathedral’s arched doorways, rose window, and towers become clearly visible.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

painting by Claude Monet, 1893 - part of the Rouen Cathedral series (Museum: Clark Art Institute)